I called up the bike shop today to find out if my bike was ready. I was getting a little worried, since they hadn’t called me back, and the ride is on Saturday. It turned out that the bike was ready, and they said I could come and pick it up.
I didn’t have too much homework, and they were open for a few more hours, so I decided to stop by and pick it up tonight. I got there and it turned out that a combination of problems had contributed to the brake failure on the VA Creeper Trail ride.
They replaced the front and rear brake pads, replaced one of the damaged brake cables, aligned the brakes on the wheels, and adjusted the tightness of the brakes. They seem to be working fine now. I guess I’ll just have to pay closer attention to the brakes and replace the brake pads when they seem to be wearing down and adjust the brakes regularly. Just another thing to add to the list of regular maintenance tasks.
Once again, I’m glad that I have the extended service plan, or whatever it’s called. I get a few full tune-ups each year, so as they take considerably longer, I will probably have one done mid-winter if my bike is looking like it needs one.